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Warning: Heavy rain, floods

The Meteorological Department on Saturday morning issued a warning for people in the North, the central Plains, the East and western part of the South to prepare for widespread scattered rain with heavy falls in some areas and the danger of floods from today to May 9.

All shipping in the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand should proceed with caution today and the next few days, the department said.

Re: Warning: Heavy rain, floods

Three provinces have been pounded by storms which have torn roofs off hundreds of homes and blacked out communities.

The storms damaged 134 homes in Chai Nat's Muang, Wat Sing and Sapphaya districts and brought down 34 electricity poles along a one kilometre stretch of the Chai Nat-Manorom road, cutting power for more than an hour late on Friday night.

Officials worked throughout yesterday to repair and reinstate the poles and power lines.

Properties in tambon Pha Lueat in Uttaradit's Tha Pla district were also damaged by storms on the same night.

At least 40 houses and Ban Sambo school were hit as the storms raged through three villages.

An initial inspection of the school found several of its buildings were damaged, with its canteen especially badly hit.

It was the second time in less than a week that summer storms have hit tambon Pha Lueat, said Buntom Thikhiao, deputy head of the Tambon Pha Lueat Administration Organisation.

About 60 houses were already damaged in a squall last Tuesday, he said.

In Phitsanulok province, some 60 houses in Phitsanulok municipality and tambon Wat Chan in Muang district and another six in tambon Chai Nam in Wang Thong district were badly hit by the storms on Friday.

Muang district resident Mali Detim, 51, said she and her family members had to cram themselves into a space beneath the house stairs for two hours after a storm tore away part of the building's roof, exposing them to pouring rain.

The Meteorology Department has warned that heavy rainfall could continue nationwide until Wednesday as a result of the current strong southwesterly winds and a low pressure cell over the Mataban Gulf in Myanmar.